Shanta Chhetri writes to PM Modi expressing concern over proposed revisions to Forest Act

SILIGURI: Shanta Chhetri, Member of Parliament (MP), Rajya Sabha, on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to reconsider the proposed revisions to the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act of 1980. She expressed concern that it could lead to a loss of vital wildlife habitat and ecology. A copy was also sent to Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.

In the letter, Chhetri wrote: “The proposed revisions to the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 are worrisome and will have significant implications for our environment and biodiversity. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill’s modifications, exempting certain forest lands from protection, could lead to the loss of vital wildlife habitats and ecological services, leaving 15% of Indian forests ready to be exploited.”

The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023 was passed by the Lok Sabha recently with the aim to bring significant changes to the Act, which is a crucial central statute for conservation of forests in India. The Bill seeks to restrict the conservation scope of the Act to only certain forest lands. It also allows some non-forest activities on forest lands, like running zoos and eco-tourism facilities.

The Bill stipulates that only those lands that were notified as ‘forest’ under Indian Forest Act 1927, any other relevant law or were recorded as forests in government records, will be acknowledged as ‘forests’.

The MP expressed concerns that with the revision, projects on forest land, including zoos and tourist attractions, will disturb wildlife and natural ecosystems to a great extent.

“The said Bill has sparked concerns over the need for clearing forests for motorways and hydropower projects. This sets a dangerous precedent, diluting the needed environmental due diligence mandated by law, as it gives easy leeway to the displacement of indigenous communities, especially in the Northeast.

Northeastern states, rich in biodiversity and home to many endemic species, fear blanket impacts under the provisions of the Amendment. The Bill protects only notified forests, excluding unnotified ones in the North-East, which accounts for 23.75% of the country’s forest cover. Overall, it will affect forest cover of states like West Bengal, Orissa, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim etc.

Therefore, I humbly urge the Prime Minister to look into the matter, as our environmental protection deserves top priority, in these times of global warming,” stated the letter.

Dipojyoti Chakraborty, an environmentalist, said: “We do not support the revision. To balance the ecosystem, forest should be increased and not the other way around. The environmental balance will be disturbed with the revisions.”